TOGETHER WITH

It’s Wednesday and if the rise of ChatGPT caught you off guard, you’re not alone. In fact, OpenAI’s board allegedly learned about the bot’s debut the same way the rest of us did: on Twitter.

HEAD IN THE GAME

Non-premium users are finally gaining access to YouTube’s library of “lightweight” games

The rollout: YouTube’s casual gaming hub is opening its doors to more users than ever before. The platform has announced the staggered launch of Playables, a mobile-style game library that officially rolled out as a Premium perk last November.

• Back then, Premium users had access to 37 casual games, including mobile-friendly titles like Daily Solitaire and Angry Birds Showdown.
  
  

• YouTube’s latest rollout will more than double the size of that catalog—but not everyone is getting the go-ahead right away. Some users can tap into the platform’s library of 75+ games now; others will gain access once YouTube widens availability “to more users over the coming months.”
  
  

• (If you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ll see Playables as a tab on the Explore menu of YouTube’s home page.)

The context: YouTube’s push into casual gaming is part of a larger trend among video and streaming giants. Two of the platform’s biggest rivals—TikTok and Netflix—have both launched their own mobile gaming hubs in recent years.

• Given how much watch time YouTube garners from mobile devices, it makes sense that the company is eager to tap into the hundreds of billions of dollars spent annually on mobile gaming—especially if it can steal TikTok’s thunder in the process.

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Ludwig Ahgren and his company, Offbrand, are joining forces with over a dozen creators to put on Fast 50, a 50-hour livestreamed charity event themed around speedrunning. (Tubefilter)
  

• San Francisco-based STEM convention Open Sauce is adding an industry track featuring speakers from YouTube, Mythical, Smosh, Roblox, Kajabi, and other top companies. (Tubefilter)
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• A September court date has been set for a U.S. Court of Appeals judge to hear arguments in cases filed by TikTok and TikTok creators against the U.S.’s so-called “ban-or-divest” law. (Engadget)
  ​

• Tumblr has announced the open beta launch of Communities, a feature that allows users to form semi-private spaces with moderators and custom rules (à la Facebook Groups). (TechCrunch)

DATA • GOSPEL STATS 📈

Top 3 Branded Videos: From Basic Economy to basic tech

Whether you’re looking for travel inspo or just a sign to follow the speed limit, Gospel Stats’ latest Brand Report has it all. Here’s how this week’s ranking of most-viewed branded videos shook out:

🥇 Ryan Trahan x Shopify: I Tried Every Seat on the Most Expensive Airline
The seat shown below might be basic, but Ryan Trahan’s recent Singapore trip was far from it. The YouTuber passed the time while flying by trying out three different seating tiers on one of the Middle East’s most luxurious airline, Etihad.

• And to fund that expedition? Trahan says he was lucky enough to “foot the bill on a sponsor”: Shopify.

🥈 Midwest Safety x SafetyVid: One (Clever?) Way to Stop a Motorcycle Chase
Trahan’s chosen mode of transportation was far from the most dangerous shown in this week’s Top 3 Branded Videos. The holder of that title goes to a motorcycle featured in Midwest Safety’s latest viral video, which follows one speedster’s many attempts to evade a ticket.

• Creators eager to track traffic violations on their own channels can turn to SafetyVid. The sponsor behind Midwest Safety’s high-stakes clip allows users to download crash footage for journalistic purposes.

🥉 Mrwhosetheboss x Surfshark VPN: I bought the most MINIMALIST Tech ever.
Arun Maini knows that bigger isn’t always better. To show off the tech industry’s less complex offerings, the creator behind Mrwhosetheboss teamed up with Surfshark VPN for a video centered on low-key gadgetry. His final verdict: “minimalist tech is sick.”

FYI: This Weekly Brand Report is just a snapshot of everything Gospel Stats has to offer. Check out the site here for data on branded partnerships, chart-topping channels, and more.

CEO SMACKDOWN

A Call of Duty smackdown between 3 CEOs will bring esports fans “back to the nostalgic early 2010s”

The face-off: If you ate, drank, and breathed esports in the 2010s, The Founding Fathers Lan is probably the competition of your dreams.

• On May 30, gaming legends and current CEOs Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag (of 100 Thieves), Richard “FaZe Banks” Bengtson (FaZe Clan), and Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez (OpTic) will lead teams for a nostalgic Call of Duty tournament.
  
  

• That competition will be split into a four-on-four showdown in Modern Warfare 2, a four-on-four in Black Ops 2, and a one-on-one between Haag and Bengston.
  
  

• Three Twitch streams will broadcast the tourney, with Haag heading 100 Thieves’s feed, FaZe ZooMaa hosting for Faze Clan, and OpTic Scump representing OpTic.

How it started: That event is still days away, but its roots go all the way back to 2010. It was then that H3CZ took control of OpTic and FaZe Clan began its meteoric rise. Haag started his own ascent by establishing 100 Thieves in 2017.

• Acquisitions, layoffs, and internal turmoil have changed the faces of all three companies since then, but H3CZ, Bengston, and Haag are still leading the charge. The CEOs kickstarted Founding Fathers earlier this year, after Haag challenged Bengston on X.

The big picture: Of course, the LAN tournament is about more than a Twitter duel. Transporting viewers back to the pinnacle of esports is a smart move for all three companies—especially FaZe Clan.

• Since FaZe’s acquisition by GameSquare, founding members Banks, Temperrr, and Apex have all taken on executive roles at the org. That shift suggests that GameSquare is backing the company’s OGs, who have challenged decisions made by newer leaders.
  
  

• Founding Fathers reinforces the ongoing authority of founders like Banks, while signaling to viewers that esports is still capable of recapturing the magic of its heyday.

WATCH THIS 📺

“The Dirt Man” will not be forgotten

The sound: If you’ve ever gotten a TikTok song stuck in your head, you’ll know that exorcising the app’s catchiest sounds is next to impossible. “The Dirt Man” is no exception.

• After generating 10 million views and several ominous covers, Carter Vail’s brain-scratching tune seemed poised to fade into the internet’s past. Then Adam Tahere got ahold of it.
  
  

• Over the last week, the musician’s various takes on “The Dirt Man” have generated over 4.5 million views. His secret weapon: a funky little instrument known as the talk box.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.